I loaded up 120 gr. BT's for my first hunt with my new .260 Remington 700 Mountain rifle for chasing mule deer this fall. I can't say I experienced any bullet failure, but it sure did make a bigger mess than my 165 gr. BT out of my .30-06 does, even at 250 yds. I'd like to use a little heavier construction bullet next fall. Which of these do you think I should use? Accubond or Partition? My gun runs these out at right around 2900 fps. I haven't tried heavier bullets with it, do you think a 140 gr. in either design would be a better choice? Let me know your experience, even if it's with a 6.5x55 or a .264 Winnie or 6.5-06. Thanks!
Selmer
PS Yes, I reload my own!

I use the 125 NP in my 6.5x55 and have found the bullet performance to be excellent on whitetail deer. My son uses the 140 NP in his custom Swede and has experienced similar results. I don't think you would go wrong with either Partition in your 260.

I use the 125 partition in a .260 at about 2900fps and have been very pleased, no deer with it yet but a couple of coyotes and pigs showed easy expansion with plenty of penetration.

I've shot or watched be shot 6 or 7 deer with the 125 gr partition, great results, mostly bangflops. The 130 gr accubond is going to be pretty long, might have troupble with OAL, if your rifle is a Remington.

I used 120BT in my 260s and they were a little destructive. I switched to 129 sst and same result. Have used 140 core-lokts and love them. They really plow through lower leg and shoulders. Every one has been a pass through with little meat lost.

I nrecently tried 120 core-lokts and took 1 buck (8pt) and one doe. Both passthroughs, but I didn't shoot them in the shoulders, just behind the shoulders. Lots of blood soup inside, not much burger lost on the ribcage.

Give these a try as they are cheap and accurate. Less than 3/4" with h4350.

Buckk was shot at about 75 yrds,doe at 125yrds.

I'm trying the 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip this year in my 6.5x55 in search of the elusive bang-flop. At 2700 (or even once a 2850) the 129g Hornady SP Interlock worked fine for me, without excessive damage, however, and I never saw any particular need for a premium at those velocities for deer. YMMV.

I have agree with Jaywalker about the 129gr. Hornady, good bullet. I also like the Speer 120gr. as a lite bullet.

I was going to start using the 125 NP's until someone sent me the rest of his 100's...

Now I won't get to use the 125's for another couple of years...grin....

BTW, 100 NP's from a .260 kills stuff way dead...

Do how did they do on your hunt in New Mexico?

I probably would have gone with the 129interlock but I got the 125's as blems for $9.99 and could not pass them up. Right now it is the only load I use in the .260 except for a 95gr Vmax for making small parts out of small animals.

My friend killed a nice 128 lb. doe this morning with a 125 Partition driven by 47 grains of Reloder 19. He was using his Rem. Model 7.

The shot was at a pretty hard quartering away angle. The bullet went in the near side back ribs and out the opposite shoulder. In between there was chest soup. She went about 100 yards before dropping but there was a good blood trail.

mathman

As expected...
Bang-flop...

VERY,VERY close to a connection with a behometh...

ANY of the plastic-tip bullets tends to open very quickly, the reason they make such a big hole behind the entrance. This is is just part of the mechanics of those little polymer points: They decelerate very quickly on impact, opening up the bullet, often extremely.

If you are looking for a good meat bullet something with a conventional lead soft-point would be a closer match. In my experience with the .260 and 6.5x55 about any soft-point from 120-140 grains will work OK, but the heavier and slower they are the less meat gets messsed up. That's the reason the classic load of a 140 at 2700 or so is such a favorite among many hunters in either the .260 or 6.5x55. Believe me, it shoors pretty darn flat,with hardly any difference between it and and 120 going 200 fps faster.

Thanks for all of the comments. If you are reading this and looking for the bang flop bullet, the 120 gr. BT is it. We party hunt for mule deer and I happened to get to shoot 3 of the 4 deer in our party. All three were literal bang flops on impact, but the meat destruction was unacceptable. I'll be trying the 125 gr. Partitions and 140 gr. Core-Lokt's and use one of them, or maybe both, next fall.
Selmer

I really like the 95 grain VMax for anything under 125 lbs., the 129 grain SpirePoint for anything in the 125 to 250 lbs. range, and the 140 grain Partition for anything bigger or tougher.

I find that the 120 grain BT is a quick killer, perfect for lung shots, but it lacks a little in the penetration department. I find that the 125 grain Partition is more rugged, penetrates deeper, but doesn't kill as quickly. I find that the 129 grain Hornady penetrates deeper than the BT and kills more quickly than the Partition, IOW, the best of both worlds.

Try them, I think that you'll like them!

Jeff

PS FWIW, I don't like the 140 grain PCLs at all. I had 2 fail to expand on 150+/- lbs. whitetail bucks. The bullets both went through and through like they were FMJs, with both shot made at less than 30+/- yards. The deer each went about 50+/- yards and fell over dead, but they didn't show any indication of being hit and, if I hadn't seen them fall over, I might have though that I'd missed the shots.

I have shot 7 deer with the 125 partiton from my 260 ( 47 grs. RL 19) four mulies, three whitetails. I think I found three of the bullets? one was flatened against the inside of the ribs of a big muley buck at around 380 yds after going through both lungs just. this is the second least expanded partition I have ever recovered but the deer was dead before I could walk to him. All seven were one shot kills as far as I can remember. I have also shot 4 large muley bucks with the 140 partions at 2800 fps
( vv n-560) all were complete penitrations on broadside shots. I am more tham happy with both these loads but if I was was expecting any raking shots or bumping in to larger animals I myself would chose the 140 load for it graeter penitration. I would feel confident using this load on a moose. Minimal meat damage with either of these loads.

I would second the above info out of my .260. The 120 BTs failed to penetrate a front shoulder, and resulted in a LONG tracking effort. It simply blew up and barely put a couple nicks in the one lung.

I have had the 140 CLs do two things: either penetrate through-and-through with seemingly no opening (an even LONGER tracking job); or open up wide and shed so much weight that they did not exit.

I shot a yote @ 340 yards with the 125 Partition (2900 f/s). It expanded well and blew a big exit hole on a lung shot. I would be confident using it on deer, but I would also use the 120 nosler bt, but would limit myself to broadside lung shots.

Hmmm...
I've had great luck with the 120 BT's...
I've never recovered one...

Can't see the pontification on cored bullets, and concern for failure, when the TSX is right there.

I'd go with the 120 gr. TSXBT and never think twice about it.

Load the 120 NBTs for offseason fun, and roll with the good stuff for the real season.

Va,

YOu know other folks use something other than TSX's and they're quite happy?

grin...

For off-season fun the 85 Sierra HP is a thing of beauty for meat grinding...

Can't understand the shorting yourself.

BT/DT. Eventually got smarter, and though I'm slow, I ain't that damned slow.

+1

I have killed more than 10 deer, bucks and does, w/140cl and all exited with excellent internal damage.

This has been my experience, obviously others vary.

definitely wont use 140 hornadys. deer was dead but bullet shed core and not much internal damage. bullet didnt hit much for bone on the way in. I sectioned one of these the other night and laughed, the interlocking ring is almost non-existent...in this batch. Others might be better.

Selmer,

Never shot a .260, but have a lot of experience with the 6.5x55. I shoot a Ruger 77 and my brother and nephew have Win 70 FW. Started using 120 BT's at 2900 and they work OK except they can tend to mess up some meat as you experienced. We eventually went to 140's because they shoot the best in all three rifles. The guns have long throats and the OAL needs to be 3.10 or so. I favor 140 Partitions or Speer Hot Core with a charge of RL-22 that nears 2800. These usually pass through even on big deer at steep angles, or even straight through both sholders. Sierra 140 GK's are pretty good too, but can mess a little more meat than the Nosler or Speer and some do not exit. Have found several Sierra's under the hide and they usually retain 55-60% of their weight. Never have recovered a Speer or Nosler. Mule Deer is right, they shoot apparently just as flat in field use and seem to hit noticeably harder than the 120's. There is usually no to minimal meat damage and deer are dead darn quick, if not DRT. Having said that, I've got some 120 TSX loaded which I intend to try next year.

Steve